10 Different Types of Drinking Glasses
Learn how to choose the right types of drinking glasses. From alcohol glasses for beer and wine to everything in between! This is how to choose the right glass.
Photo By CanvaChoosing the right types of drinking glasses is a great way of enjoying your favorite drinks even more. Yes, the type of alcohol glasses matters!
Here’s how to choose the perfect glassware for every drink. You’ll not only enjoy your drinks more, but you will also be a better host at dinner parties!
Which Glass For Which Drink?
There are literally dozens of different types of glasses; some are fairly standard and are used to serve water, others are better suited for tea and coffee. What we’re interested in, though, is in alcohol glasses. They really enhance your favorite drinks!
These are the most common alcohol glasses, types of glasses you want to have around, especially if you’re having guests coming over. See if you already have a couple of these in the cupboard.
1. The Pilsner Glass
The pilsner glass is a tall, thin glass designed to serve fresh and cold beers like lagers, pale ales and especially pilsners. Pilsner glasses have the precise size and shape to allow you to enjoy those long bubble streams floating to the surface. They’re also ideal for admiring a fine beer’s golden color.
Pilsner glasses are not all that sturdy, but they do the job all right. These are far fancier than beer mugs, but you’ll soon see they both have their uses.
2. The Beer Mug
Photo By CanvaThe famous beer mug is one of the prettiest glasses out there. Sturdy, robust, and quite beautiful, these glasses come with a handle, so you can lift a beer of any size without having it slip right off your hand because of condensation.
Beer mugs are made with thick glass that better preserve the beer’s temperature — cold beer stays cold longer. Also, you can safely toast with your buddies without risking breaking your beer glass.
3. The Martini Glass
The most fashionable and up-scale drinking glass in the world. That’s the martini glass. This tall glass has a wide vase, and it’s used to serve, you guessed it, Martinis.
Of course, the martini has many shapes and colors. It can be made with gin or vodka, but it can also be flavored with anything from apples to chocolate and espresso. You can also use the martini glass to serve Gibsons, Manhattans and Daiquiris.
4. The Highball Glass
The tube-shaped highball glass is one of the most popular cocktail drinks, and it’s primarily designed for long drinks like Rum & Coke, Screwdriver, Gin & Tonic and Collins.
In fact, the Collins cocktail was once so famous the highball glass is also often called Collins glass. You should always fill a highball glass with ice before pouring your favorite drink. That way, it’s evenly chilled, and it doesn’t water down as much.
5. The Rocks Glass
Photo By CanvaOf all alcohol glasses, one of the most popular types of drinking glasses is the rocks glass. Also known as short glass, these sturdy, slightly wider glasses are designed to serve distilled spirits with a few ice cubes.
You can also use a rocks glass to drink spirits and short drinks straight, but they’re perfect for you to swirl ice while you sip on a hard spirit slowly. The rocks glass is ideal for cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Negroni.
6. The Sombrero Glass
This fun alcohol glass has the shape of a Mexican hat or sombrero, making it ideal for serving Mexico’s most famous drink, the Margarita.
To make a Margarita, combine Tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice; that’s it! This is a wonderful summer drink. Just don’t forget to coat the glass’s rim with salt. Classic Margaritas are served over ice, but you can also blend them for a boozy smoothie.
7. The Hurricane Glass
This tall glass has a lovely curve, making it exotic and very attractive. This type of drinking glass is synonymous with tropical drinks, especially if blended. Iced drinks also look beautiful in a hurricane glass, as long as they’re colorful.
The Hurricane, Pina Colada and Blue Lagoon are just a few drinks commonly served in this tropical stemware. Of course, everything looks and tastes better in this beautiful drinking glass.
8. White Wine Glass
Photo By CanvaNow let’s get serious because when it comes to stemware, the most sophisticated and expensive are always designed to enjoy wine. White wine glasses are smaller than red wine glasses, as you should enjoy white wine in small pours at low temperatures.
Stemless wine glasses exist, but the stem exists for a reason; it prevents you from warming up the wine too much with your own hands. Having a white wine glass set around is always a good idea.
9. Red Wine Glass
Red wine glasses are the mightiest of all types of drinking glasses. These big glasses have large vases that hold larger amounts of wine. Red wine is best enjoyed a bit warmer, especially compared with white wine, so you can serve larger pours. That’s where the red wine glass comes in.
Some red wine glasses are costly, and that’s because they’re mouth-blown and hand-crafted with crystal by authentic artisans. You can’t put a price on that.
10. Snifter Glass
The snifter glass is a short, stemmed glass with a bowl-shaped vase. These round glasses are perfect for serving aromatic spirits, more often than not aged for many years on oak barrels.
What the snifter glass does is capture all the fluttering scents from a drink, allowing you to pick them up with your nose. Snifter glasses are not particularly popular today, but if you’re tasting aged whiskey, fine rum or expensive brandy, you want to use one of these.
Build Your Glassware Collection!
The best part about having different alcohol glasses at home is that you can entertain your guests with a wide variety of drinks and cocktails. Every type of glass has its uses and getting to know them has plenty of benefits.
Enjoy all types of drinking glasses and enhance your drinking experience. There’s no better way to enjoy a drink than in the proper glassware.
